Cement

A successful initiative to transform the Port of Everett (Washington) into a top cement distribution facility in less than a year has earned Greenberry Industrial the 2007 Distinguished Project Award from the Northwest Construction Consumer Council.

The venture was honored in the NWCCC's “Private Projects Over $10 million” category.

In late 2006, the Port of Everett approved a contract to change the focus at the port from handling alumina ore to cement, which called for major changes to the site's dome storage structure, including pouring new interior concrete walls, installing pneumatic systems, building a new truck loading facility, rebuilding conveyers, transfer towers and rail car loading systems – plus removing appurtenances from the top of the dome.

Judges said they were favorably inclined toward the project because of its unique scope of work and tight construction schedule. The judges also were impressed with the safety procedures implemented during the project. A small jobsite of only 44,000 square feet, limited access to the dome facility through just one 14-foot by 12-foot door and an eight-month schedule presented several scheduling and safety challenges for Greenberry to overcome during construction.

Waste Crete Systems, LLC has unveiled a new patent-pending concrete washout system called EnviroWash.

The EnviroWash process is one in which all concrete wastewater, once removed, is treated and reintroduced back into the EnviroWash unit, which is then used to clean concrete equipment over and over again. This process is designed to allow companies to reduce the liabilities and expenses associated with onsite concrete wastewater handling while reducing the amount of water used to rinse off concrete equipment at construction job sites after they have emptied their concrete loads.

Waste Crete Systems will showcase the EnviroWash System at the World of Concrete 2008 Tradeshow in Las Vegas, Jan. 22-25, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The technology will be available for viewing at booth #N553 and at a 3 p.m. press conference on Jan. 23.

According to Waste Crete Systems, the EnviroWash System exceeds current EPA "Best Practice" standards for water contamination from concrete truck washouts and prevents nearly 90 percent of rainwater and groundwater contamination from concrete wastewater throughout the building process.

R-Value Concrete Structures LLC has been awarded the Exemplary Project award from the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association for its “foundational participation” in the Onekama Hybrid Home.

The home features Build Block ICF walls from footings to trusses, stained concrete floors, and incorporates Lite-Deck floors with radiant heat/snow melt for the garage, porch and a unique second-story deck, all installed by R-Value. Many challenges had to be overcome during construction including very narrow window spacing, the second story concrete deck, and high winds throughout the building process.

According to Jake Vierzen of R-Value: "I am excited to see ICFs being recognized as an excellent complement to renewable energy technologies, and very pleased to work as part of Team Hybrid on this and other innovative homes. The Team concept incorporates many of the trades, starting with the architect, in order to deliver the absolute highest performance home possible.”

In addition to the highly efficient building, the Onekama Hybrid Home discreetly incorporates both a wind generator and solar hot water. It is expected to earn the highest rating possible under the new LEED for Homes program.

The Portland Cement Association has appointed Lawrence C. Novak as manager of buildings and special structures. He and his staff will consult with engineers, architects and contractors to directly promote the use of concrete and cement for buildings, stadiums, environmental and other structures throughout the United States.

Novak brings to PCA more than 20 years of experience as a structural engineer on some of the world’s most prominent buildings. Most recently as an associate partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, he served as the senior project engineer responsible for the structural design of the Burj Dubai Tower, the world’s tallest building.

The new iCRETE system, which achieves a record 14,000 pounds per square inch of compressive strength, is being used to build the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero in New York City. Both the 1,770-square-foot tower and the 186-square-foot inner safety core supporting the superstructure will be built with iCRETE.

The iCRETE system, a patented technology, will be used to produce 240,000 cubic yards of concrete for the Freedom Tower. During the design phase of the project, the building's engineers required concrete used in the tower to achieve a record-breaking 14,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) of compressive strength, which is the highest strength concrete ever poured in New York – beating the previous record of 12,000 PSI.

In addition to physical and material benefits, iCRETE also offers environmental benefits. Since less cement is required for the iCRETE system, harmful carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 40 percent – another industry record.

Homeowners in Pasedena, California will soon break ground on the first structural concrete insulated panel (SCIP) home in the nation to seek LEED certification.

At 1,975 square feet, the Pasadena EcoHouse will be built into a rocky hillside in the San Rafael Hills. A wall of sliding windows will offer panoramic views of the San Gabriel Mountains and Old Pasadena and give the cantilevered roof the appearance of floating atop the home.

The project will feature top-of-the-line green building and design products, including a grid-tied solar electric system, a solar hot water system, recycled glass countertops, a ductless high-efficiency heating and cooling system, permeable hardscape, a rain and greywater catchment system and much more.

When completed, the Pasedena EcoHouse aims to be the first single-family, SCIP home in the nation to have earned Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes.

"The Pasadena EcoHouse represents our dream of creating an environmentally sound home, and within our strict budget," said the homeowners. "We are ready to break ground, and we look forward to sharing our green building adventure with the world."

Texas-based cement operator Ash Grove has offered to voluntarily reduce its pollution output if the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas refrain from toughening regulations, and if the city of Arlington refrains from approving a new pollution-restriction measure.

All three cities are limiting or entirely ruling out buying cement from Ash Grove unless the company’s pollution output is dramatically reduced. The city of Arlington is indicating its intention, at least for now, of going ahead with its new law.

"They've had years and years and years to bring their emissions down, and they just haven't done it yet in a spectacular way," said Mayor Robert Cluck. "So whenever they do, we'll buy cement from them."

Ash Grove is proposing that it voluntarily slash one ton of nitrogen oxides per day from its Midlothian plant, beginning in the summer. It will also work to persuade the Environmental Protection Agency to credit that reduction as part of local commitments to cut ozone, which would mean that fewer emissions reductions would be required from other sources. Ash Grove has also proposed supporting a regionwide educational program aimed at reducing ozone-forming pollution from cars and trucks.

A spate of fires in Montana several years ago inspired Stewart Hansen to find a way he could build homes with all the character of traditional log homes, and all the fire-resistance of concrete.

The solution was to develop concrete log homes, which his company, Missoula-based Concrete Logs LLC, is now doing successfully into its fourth year.

With 30 concrete log homes on the market, Hansen said the company is now developing between 10 and 15 new concrete log homes each year.

Concrete Logs LLC sells just the exterior wall system, not the entire house, and charges between $70 and $80 per square foot. Finished turnkey costs can run anywhere from $130 to $500 per square foot depending on the customer’s preferences.

Using forms cast from actual wood logs, Concrete Logs LLC has also placed a premium on energy efficiency in its homes. Hansen said a recent test conducted by the National Center of Appropriate Technology indicated Concrete Log homes are seven times as airtight as traditional wood-log buildings and six times as airtight as traditional wood-frame buildings. A recent 10,000-square-foot custom home in Colorado has monthly utility bills of $322 per month, he said.

A nearly century-old development of concrete homes in Pennsylvania looks to have a date with the wrecking ball, although it is possible one may be saved as a historic preservation measure.

Concrete City, which sits on 39 acres straddling Hanover Township and the city of Nanticoke, has been deeded to the city of Nanticoke for $10 by a nonprofit organization known as the Regional Equipment Center, which is disbanding.

The 20 duplexes, which were built in 1911 by the coal division of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, were among the first homes in America built entirely with poured concrete. The railroad rented them for $8 a month.

Concrete City closed in 1924 after one of the subsequent owners refused to put in a sewer system to replace concrete outhouses.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission designated Concrete City a historic site and erected a marker in 1998. Concrete City was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Municipal officials said they would like to keep one of the homes standing for the historical value, but do not foresee preserving more than that – as they have become graffiti-adorned, bullet-ridden eyesores.

Industry professionals from throughout the U.S. recently attended a workshop in Arlington, Texas to learn more about the rapidly expanding area of full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement and soil-cement pavements. The attendees included contractors, equipment and material suppliers, and professional regional cement and pavement promoters.

The program provided an opportunity for discussion on expanding the market for FDR and soil-cement pavements, as well as their construction, short presentations from local promoters on “What Works” in their area, interactive training of a recently developed pavement thickness design program, and a field trip to observe an innovative cement slurry process.

The two-day workshop was sponsored by the Portland Cement Association with the cooperation of the Cement Council of Texas.